obstreperouscurmudgeonhttps://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com
This WordPress.com site is the bee's kneesMon, 13 Aug 2018 13:15:07 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s0.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngobstreperouscurmudgeonhttps://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com
Corollary to the “Democracy can only exist” truismhttps://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/corollary-to-the-democracy-can-only-exist-truism/
https://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/corollary-to-the-democracy-can-only-exist-truism/#respondMon, 19 Nov 2012 18:47:56 +0000http://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/?p=88A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the minority discovers that by manipulating public policy it can transfer the wealth of the nation into it’s own pockets. This process continues until the rest of the country is so powerless it surrenders to the need to survive.
]]>https://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/corollary-to-the-democracy-can-only-exist-truism/feed/0obstreperouscurmudgeonBill Clinton, Ken Starr, the Republicans, Sex in the Oval Office, and Impeachmenthttps://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/bill-clinton-ken-starr-the-republicans-sex-in-the-oval-office-and-impeachment/
https://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/bill-clinton-ken-starr-the-republicans-sex-in-the-oval-office-and-impeachment/#respondMon, 12 Nov 2012 19:48:58 +0000http://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/bill-clinton-ken-starr-the-republicans-sex-in-the-oval-office-and-impeachment/I realized last night that a pattern seems to be developing. The Republicans spent most of Bill Clinton’s term trying to find a way to impeach him. Although they attacked from several fronts, the only thing they ended up with were perjury and obstruction of justice, both of which would not have occurred without the investigation in the first place. Apparently, they are going to continue this process with each Democratic President from now on. Truth be told, there’s only been one other, so it’s just two at this point, but the insistence that no Democrat should ever hold public office again seems to be ingrained in the people running the party right now.

What I’m really curious about, though, is what would have happened had Clinton not lied. What would Starr’s reaction have been if he said, “Monica gives really good head. Sometimes if I had a bad day or was under a lot of stress, I would have someone bring her to the Oval Office to give me a blow job.” That would have meant that there was no perjury or obstruction of justice, and no possibility of impeachment. Clinton had already been reelected, so essentially nothing would have happened, and the $70 million dollars would have been an even bigger waste.

I don’t know how much money Darrell Issa has spent keeping his promise to hold investigations five days a week, forty weeks a year, but I suspect the results will be the same. They will never come up with anything concrete, nothing supported by anything but their own hatred, and Barack Obama will serve the entire eight years of his Presidency.

I would call a joint session of Congress for Monday morning. This is what I would say.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Americans, it is no secret that some of you have hated me for the last four years, whether because I’m black, a Democrat, or a liberal. I want you to know that the past is forgotten as of now. I am willing to work with anyone who will work with me. I want you to know that I am available to you, so I am ordering my Chief of Staff to schedule, every night from 5 to 6 PM, 10 minutes for anyone who wants to talk to me – about problems, about solutions you think would work but no one is listening, about anything you think would make this country better.”

Then, I would call Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, and John Boehner to the podium. I would hand each pair a sheet of paper with a list on it.

“On each of these sheets of paper is a list of suggestions for cutting the budget and raising revenue. I want the Democrats to caucus together and decide what three suggestions for spending cuts they can live with, or add something if it is not on the list. I want the Republicans to decide what three types of revenue increases they can live with, and I will discuss new ideas if they are not on the list. You will notice that I have given each side the part of the equation they dislike most, so this is your chance to tell us if you can reason for the good of the country or if you are bound to ideology. ”

“I expect a report from both sides by Friday afternoon. On the Monday after Thanksgiving, we will begin work on avoiding the fiscal cliff, using the suggestions you have provided. If a solution is not reached, I will allow us to go over the cliff. It is time to end the gridlock and paralysis that has gripped us for the last two years and go to work for the good of our nation.”

Now that President Obama is starting his second term, I thought we should talk about what changes he should make to his cabinet and other advisors, etc. There has been much talk about John Kerry being the new Sec of State, and he would be a competent one, for Europe. But as our dealings have expanded to the rest of the world, I would prefer a younger one who is very savvy about the world. My personal pick would be Jon Huntsman, but I doubt he would take it. So my suggestion is Fareed Zakaria. He knows more about the world than anyone I know of and he has met most of the world leaders and spoken with them personally. He is measured, very intelligent, and understands the place of America in the world.

One thing I would do right away is appoint Ray Kurzweil as Science Advisor at Large. I would have him do a general overview of any program involving science, report to me, and then begin implementing any suggestions he has that I can approve of. If any of you don’t know who he is, here’s a link. http://singularity.com/aboutray.html Alternatively, I would combine the Energy Department, the NIH, and the CDC under a Cabinet post called the Department of Science and make him Secretary, although I would still like him to look at other departments that have science involved.

Then, I might consider something both outrageous and with a little bit of bite. I would offer the post of Sec. of Commerce to Mitt Romney. He says he can fix the economy, so let’s give him a chance. On the other hand, if he spent the first three months suggesting nothing but tax cuts, I’d let him go.

For Budget Director, some have suggested Bowles of Bowles/Simpson, but I would like to do what Kevin Kline did in DAVE and have a single, independent accountant go over the proposed budget each year. Then, I would combine the office of Budget Director with Treasury Secretary. It would seem that the two should be held by the same person. I don’t have a suggestion for this post except to say it should be someone who is not connected to Wall Street or a large corporation.

That’s all I have for now. Suggestions and reactions welcomed.

]]>https://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/the-road-forward-part-1/feed/0obstreperouscurmudgeonbalderdashhttps://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/balderdash/
https://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/balderdash/#respondWed, 30 May 2012 18:41:28 +0000http://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/?p=4I wanted to call this blog balderdash, but somebody beat me to it! Grrrrrrrrrr! LOL My purpose is to sound off about idiocies, both political and ordinary. I will welcome any replies that have evidence to back them up, but I’m not interested in those who only insult or say “Nanny, nanny, boo, boo! I can’t hear you!”

When the subject line is mom instead of balderdash, it will be about my experiences with my mother, who has fairly advanced Alzheimer’s. She is 92, will be 93 this month, and has been living with me for the last four years.

I’ve never done this before, so forgive my goofups, please.

]]>https://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/balderdash/feed/0obstreperouscurmudgeonHello world!https://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/hello-world/
https://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/hello-world/#respondWed, 30 May 2012 18:34:44 +0000http://obstreperouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/?p=1Welcome to WordPress.com! This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.